Paddlers gunning for Olympics glory

Sunny Kaul

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 24

With an unprecedented four paddlers set to represent the country in the Rio Olympics, the profile of table tennis has definitely grown over the past few years.

Upcoming youngsters like Soumyajit Ghosh and Manika Batra, along with veterans Achanta Sharath Kamal and Mouma Das, will be representing India in the biggest sporting extravaganza. It shows that there is no dearth of talent in the country.         

However, the question is whether we are competitive enough to challenge the supremacy of traditional powerhouses like China, South Korea and Japan.

If we consider world rankings as a measure of our performance, which chief coach Bhawani Mukherjee feels is the only indicator to assess a paddler, then we still have some hard yards to travel.     

While Ghosh, who celebrated his 23rd birthday recently, is ranked world No. 65, his senior partner Sharath Kamal is at the 73rd spot.

The women paddlers too are on a shaky ground. The youngest member of the contingent, 21-year-old Batra, is world No. 128, while Das is 30 notches behind her.      

In the Olympic Games ranking, though, Ghosh isplaced at the 41st position, four spots above Sharath Kamal. Batra is at 59th spot while Mouma is at 69th position.

Olympics qualification

While the top-22, not including more than two players from a particular country, get a direct entry into the Games, Indian paddlers had to make their way through the Asian qualifiers.

Even as Ghosh and Batra booked South Asian quota places after defeating their compatriots, Sharath Kamal was lucky to survive against world No. 122 Noshad Alamiyan of Iran, before booking his ticket to the big event. At the end of four games, the veteran was trailing 1-3 and had to sweat it out to ensure his second Olympics appearance after the 2004 Athens Games.

Das, on the other hand, had an easy run against low-ranked Rimma Gufranova (349) of Uzbekistan, winning the qualifier 4-1.

Medal prospects

Realistically, do we stand a chance in table tennis in the Olympics? Well, as usual, a lot will depend on the draw. “It is not an easy job. We have our work cut out. The world's best compete in the Olympics,” said Mukherjee. He was quick to add: “A lot will also depend on the draw and players peaking at the right time.”

Though Mukherjee said the Indians were better than many other players from Africa and Americas, he remained guarded against paddlers from Asia and Europe. “I am not saying that we cannot beat them but it definitely dents your confidence if you see a top-ranked player drawn against you in the initial rounds.” 

Sandeep Gupta, under whom Batra is training, however, said: “A lot depends on that particular day.”

“Manika has beaten the likes of Ishikawa (world No. 4 from Japan) in the past, she is a talented player and it depends on how she is shaping up on that particular day” said Gupta, who is planning to accompany her ward to the big stage.

For Das, the game starts at love-all, and you have to give your best to win it. However, she endorses Mukherjee's views. “If I come across world No. 1 in my first match then obviously it has an impact on my confidence,” said Das, who will be competing in her second Olympics after the Athens Games.      

Ghosh, who will also be participating in his second Olympics after appearing in London in 2014, is concerned about the present. “I am not looking too far ahead. I am concentrating on one match at a time.” He, however, said he was looking to improve his rankings further to get a better draw in the Olympics. “Surely, if I have a better rank, I will get a better draw.”

Training and evaluation

The players are currently training with their personal coaches and trying to iron out the flaws in their game. While Ghosh is training with former European champion Peter Karlsson in Sweden, Das is sweating it out in Kolkata under the supervision of her childhood coach Jayanta Pushilal. She is also getting lessons from Mukherjee and former national coach Peter Angel of Germany.

Sharath is training in Germany while Batra was in New Delhi till May 22. All the four will be participating in pro-tours ahead of the Olympics to get battle-ready.

Ghosh will be playing in the Slovenia Open (June 1-5), while Batra is participating in the Croatia Open (May 24-28). She will try her luck in the Slovenia Open before heading to Japan.

Sharath will assess his performance in the Slovenia Open before competing in Japan and Korea Open. He is also on the list of Croatia Open contestants. Das is also scheduled to play in the Japan Open. With the government funding the quartet under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme, the Table Tennis Federation (TTFI) has been directed by the Sports Authority of India to design a mechanism to evaluate their performance.

“It is easy to evaluate performance of athletes in measurable disciplines like running, shot put, discus throw, etc…but how can we evaluate the performance of table tennis players. The only criterion left, therefore, is the world rankings,” said Mukherjee.

Accreditation

Meanwhile, the TTFI has received a request from Batra to allow her to take her personal coach to Rio. “We have got the request regarding Manika's personal coachaccompanying her,” said TTFI secretary-general Dhanraj Choudhary.

He, however, said it was for the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to decide on his accreditation. 

“It is for the IOA to decide whether he should be allowed to travel along with Manika. He may be provided the accreditation but he may or may not be provided the accommodation. The IOA rules are clear, they allow 50 per cent of the total number of players as the support staff in a particular discipline. Since four of our players have qualified for the Olympics, we have been allowed two persons along with the team. And we have already recommended chief coach Bhawani Mukherjee and a physio,” Choudhary said. Gupta, however, said he would travel to Rio and the ball was in the government's court.